Cuba’s Dayron Robles took the world record away from Liu Xiang Thursday in , challenging the Chinese hurdler’s status as prohibitive favorite going into his homeland’s Olympics.

Xiang, the defending Olympic and world champion, has dominated the 110-meter hurdles the past few years. He is considered China’s best hope for gold on the track at the Beijing Games.

But Robles shaved 0.01 seconds off Xiang’s record at the Golden Spike meet, winning in 12.87 seconds.

“It is such a good time; I did not expect that. Wow!” Robles said. “Thanks, Ostrava! I do not know if I can beat Liu Xiang in Beijing, but we will see.”

Mississippi junior Brittney Reese, who at 5-foot-7 can dunk a basketball, soared 22 feet, 9 inches on her third jump under mostly clear conditions at Drake Stadium to add an NCAA Ostravia, Czech Republic College track

championship to her already impressive season.

Freshman Ngoni Makusha won the men’s long jump at 27-2 to give Florida State a fast start in its attempt for a third straight men’s title.

Oregon sophomore Ashton Eaton set a personal best by 263 points for a surprise victory in the decathlon, scoring 8,055 points.

Bill Curry, 65, who spent the last 11 seasons working as a college football TV analyst, has signed a five-year contract to become Georgia State’s first coach.

Connecticut basketball recruit Elena Delle Donne, the national high school player of the year, left summer school and returned home to Delaware. Delle Donne told ESPN Wednesday that her problems go beyond basketball, and she will take a long break.

The NCAA will keep the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., through 2035 under an unprecedented 25-year contract extension.

The baseball championship has been in Omaha each year since 1950. The new agreement will take effect in 2011 when the CWS moves from Rosenblatt Stadium to a 24,000-seat downtown ballpark.

Minnesota Duluth volleyball player Vicky Braegelmann and Willamette University cross country star Sarah Zerzan were chosen Honda Awards winners. They were selected athletes of the year in Division II and III, respectively.

Former Poland international soccer player Adam Ledwon was found dead at his house Wednesday in southern Austria. He was 34.

A team manager said a suicide note was found but not translated.

Tennis

Andy Roddick reached the quarterfinals at Queen’s Club in London when fellow American Mardy Fish withdrew with a left ankle injury after losing the opening set, 7-6 (5).

Top seeds Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic also reached the quarterfinals despite some struggles.

seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia needed more than two hours to beat Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, and advance to the quarterfinals of the Torneo Barcelona.

Chad Johnson showed up for the start of the Cincinnati Bengals’ mandatory minicamp. Beyond that, nothing was clear. The disgruntled receiver didn’t participate in the morning workout after telling the team he’s got an ailment. He quit the afternoon practice early.

ETC.: Pro football

Ex-Stanford tight end Teyo Johnson and quarterback Luke Drone were waived by the Bills after the team’s final minicamp practice.

The SuperSonics’ argument for why they should be allowed to move to Oklahoma City next season is succinctly stated in the trial brief for the team’s upcoming court battle with the city of Seattle.

“Leases are generally not specifically enforceable,” reads the first sentence of the Sonics’ brief, obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday night after it was filed in federal court in advance of a trial set to begin Monday. The Sonics’ legal strategy is they should be allowed to leave town if they pay off the rent on the last two years of the lease, which comes to about $10million. … Kurt Havelock, a man accused of planning a massacre at this year’s Super Bowl, was convicted of federal charges in Phoenix. He has yet to be sentenced. … The FBI wants to study documents that Silicon Valley businessman William “Boots” Del Biaggio III gave to sports and government officials guaranteeing his share of the NHL’s Nashville Predators and a new arena lease for the team. … Three Bills – have been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury looking into a hit-and-run accident involving running back Marshawn Lynch’s SUV, police said. Bills owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. and chief operating officer Russ Brandon also are expected to be called to testify.

Cat Whitehill, a defender for the U.S. women’s national soccer team, will miss the Olympics after tearing a knee ligament.

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